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The work week starts with the Moon in people-pleasing Libra, where it has been since Saturday at 2:20 PM ET. While a need for balance and harmony may have flowed easily on Sunday, said needs may be jarred on Monday by the Moon’s weekly clash with the planetary heavies: Pluto (while you were sleeping), and (in the late afternoon) Uranus. Power plays and flashes of insight are probable. Watch the headlines.

Moon goes void on an easy flow with Saturn at 6:59 PM ET, seeking to bring the upsets into balance. On TUESDAY Moon plunges into the depths of Scorpio, seeking emotional intensity, depth and control. The only exact aspect that day is an easy flow between the Taurus Sun and Pluto in Capricorn at 2:21 PM ET. This suggests keeping power, resources and leadership as they are. Perhaps it reflects Emmanuel Macron’s decisive victory over Marine Le Pen, who would have been a much greater disruption to the status quo. Vive la France!

Ever since the last week of April, a meet-up between Mercury (mindset) and Uranus (rebel) has been reflecting bizarre and reckless ideas. Mercury and Uranus are in Aries, the sign of “Ready! Fire! Aim!” — as fellow Aries astrologer Rick Levine likes to say. There was an exact meet-up on April 28th, when Mercury was still retrograde. Then Mercury turned direct on May 3rd. It will meet up with Uranus again on WEDNESDAY at 1:19AM ET, before the Scorpio Full Moon at 5:42 PM ET, which immediate goes void until 12:59 PM ET on THURSDAY.

Pass the popcorn and get ready for more startling communications to come to light, with a scandalous or fanatical spin. Why scandalous and/or fanatical? Because on THURSDAY, Mars (action, guns, macho, courage) will be challenged by Neptune (scandal, glamour, chemicals, oil, spirits, drugs) at 1:53 PM ET…followed by a serious alignment between Mercury and Saturn. Add an easy physicality or expansive feel to whatever is hitting the news this week, suggested by an easy flow between Mars and Jupiter (big!) on FRIDAY at 5:19 AM ET.

There are three strands to this story. How the foundations of an authoritarian surveillance state are being laid in the US. How British democracy was subverted through a covert, far-reaching plan of coordination enabled by a US billionaire. And how we are in the midst of a massive land grab for power by billionaires via our data. Data which is being silently amassed, harvested and stored. Whoever owns this data owns the future.

Last week began with the Moon in Cancer, suggesting a concern with family and nurturing needs. Enter late-night host Jimmy Kimmel with a tearful monologue about his infant son Billy, who was born with a serious heart defect which required emergency surgery within hours of his arrival. Scary, right? How in a civilized society could anyone deny health care and/or insurance coverage to anyone because they had a pre-existing condition? Mr. Kimmel’s monologue sparked a national debate.

Turns out that Congress was also debating that very issue. On the day Mercury turned direct in “Ready! Fire! Aim!” Aries, under the influence of erratic Uranus. How else could it pass a “punitive and cruel” alleged health care bill with those in favor not even bothering to read it? Then rush off to the Rose Garden for a “victory celebration” and photo op of mostly old white men? Now the Senate will draft their version of the bill — with the drafting to be done by 13 white male Republicans.

In other news, yesterday I binge-watched the first four episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale on Hulu. Margaret Atwood, author of the original novel, penned an essay about how she came to write her book back in 1984. I was delighted to find her horoscope online — with a birth time. Ms. Atwood is a Scorpio, driven by the Moon in humanitarian Aquarius. Her Gemini Ascendant suggests a need to be seen as the smartest kid in the room. A meet-up between Mercury and Venus in Sagittarius suggests idealism and righteous “big picture” values and opinion.

In 1982 and 1983 — just before writing The Handmaid’s Tale, she had transiting Uranus squaring her Ascendant, suggesing a need or opportunity for a fresh start — which she then avoided. “It seemed to me a risky venture,” she writes in the essay linked above. “I’d read extensively in science fiction, speculative fiction, utopias and dystopias ever since my high school years in the 1950s, but I’d never written such a book.” In 1984, fueled no doubt by the innovative buzz of transiting Uranus conjunct her Mercury and Venus, she was finally motivated to write. Now, in 2017, she has transiting Uranus shaking up her natal Saturn, activating the areas of the horoscope related to career, publishing and broadcasting. Now and into 2018, transiting Neptune will be in touch with her Mercury and Venus. Neptune refers to film, glamour. The Handmaid’s Tale has already been renewed for a second season. Isn’t that interesting? Astrology is amazing.

UPDATE: Michael Moore, whose horoscope I wrote about in-depth last fall for the National Council for Geocosmic Research — right here on page 10. He once won an election — at age 18 — and I thought it would be fun to see how patterns in his horoscope reflected his upset victory. Mr. Moore’s transits this year include transiting Pluto square his Mercury and a measurement between the Sun and Mars, ruling his Leo Ascendant (personal projection) and the area of the horoscope referring to big picture ideas. We would expect a need for persuasive thinking manifesting in the broadest reach possible. Broad? How about Broadway? As in a solo show called The Terms of My Surrender. That’s what Mr. Moore will be doing this summer.“Can a Broadway show take down a sitting president?” asks the tagline on the poster.Sounds like Mr. Moore will make a persuasive effort.

When are you likely to expand your reach in a persuausive solo show? Move to Guatemala? Meet a significant other? Leave your mediocre job? Find out what’s going on in your horoscope in a personal consultation. Here’s how to contact me.

Happy Vernal Equinox — the first day of spring! At 6:29 AM ET, the Sun enters Aries, marking the beginning of a new astrological year. Courage, self-reliance, inspiration and a pioneering spirit are keywords for the Sun in Aries, sign of the ram — and the lamb. In the Northern hemisphere (the birthplace of Western astrology), it is a time of renewal and rebirth — a chance to let go of old patterns and make a fresh start.

More on the equinox, but first let’s talk about the rest of this day, which is partly driven by the Moon in Sagittarius. Its need for righteous opinion is squeezed, muzzled and otherwise controlled by a meet-up with Saturn at 6:37 AM ET. And guess what? This is the closest pattern in the chart for the equinox — and thus an important clue to what we are likely to be dealing with for the next 365 days.

Moon goes void immediately after that heavy Saturn meet-up and won’t be fully engaged until 11:31 AM ET, when it enters proactive, status-seeking Capricorn. Half an hour later, the second closest pattern in the equinox chart kicks in — the Third Quarter Moon, a.k.a. tension between the needs of the Capricorn Moon to toe the Establishment line vs. the me-me-me energy of the Aries Sun. With both the Sun and the Moon at zero degrees of their respective signs, this tension will command attention big time. Take care of routine concerns during the morning void. Remember that crises which crop up are often much ado about nothing. Get ready to advance your agenda after 12 PM ET.

OK, the vernal equinox. Here’s what you need to know about the first day of any season from an astrological point of view. The first day of each season (Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter) corresponds with the first day (or first DEGREE) of Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn, respectively. Got that? Good. These four signs are called CARDINAL signs of the zodiac, with “cardinal” here suggesting (from the Latin root of the word), “that on which something turns or depends.” Cardinal signs take ACTION. They INITIATE. Nothing happens without ACTION. And action leads to NECESSARY CHANGE. As in a change of seasons — suggested by solstices and equinoxes. Clear?

The first day of a season is prominent in our culture, right? We make a big deal over it — yes? So can you see that in astrology, we observe that PLANETS that are at the first degree of a cardinal sign (Aries, Cancer, Libra & Capricorn), tend to pack a more powerful, prominent punch. They suggest ACTION which leads to CHANGE — prominently! The first degree of the cardinal signs is known as the ARIES POINT. Got that?

If you have a planet or angle at the Aries Point, you can expect that the energy of that planet will demand prominent expression in your life. Your friends and family — and perhaps the entire free world — will notice it. William Shatner was born with the Sun at 0 Aries. “To boldly go where no man has gone before”? I should think so — and the whole world knows him for playing that role.

Other notable patterns this week won’t be exact until late Thursday and through the weekend. First, Mercury — which refers to ideas, thinking, communication, travel and commerce — makes a persuasive, penetrating and corruption-exposing challenge to Pluto at 8:42 PM ET on THURSDAY. Expansive thinking is suggested when Mercury opposes Jupiter on FRIDAY at 8:46 AM ET. On SATURDAY, the Sun and Venus meet up in Aries –showering anyone with a planet around 6 degrees of Aries with a little bit of love. On SUNDAY, upsets and revelations involving aviation, technology and gender equality issues are likely, as Mercury meets up with rebel Uranus at 11:05 AM ET.

What’s significant about the patterns noted in the above paragraph is that they also apply to the chart for the Vernal Equinox. A year of revelation upon revelation upon revelation….?

The only Moon void of note — other than Monday’s — is on WEDNESDAY from 9:20 AM ET until 10:28 PM ET.

FBI Director James Comey will be testifying before Congress in hearings starting at 10 AM today, during the Moon void. This story is not going away anytime soon.

Confirmation hearings for SCOTUS nominee Neil Gorsuch are also scheduled to begin today. We don’t have a birth time for Mr. Gorsuch (Aug 29 1967 in Denver), but my first thought looking at a chart cast at noon was that his mother must have been a piece of work: intense, erratic, fiercely independent. And guess what? She was.

She cut the EPA budget by 22 percent, slashed EPA enforcement actions against polluters and slowed down payments for Superfund cleanups.

She resigned after less than two years on the job after being cited for contempt of Congress. With four planets in stubborn Taurus in her horoscope, we can appreciate why she refused to turn over certain subpoenaed documents, fueled by the potentially visionary or delusional idealism suggested by two separate patterns (born April 21 1942). Her son Neil has similar patterns, which is typical seen when comparing the horoscopes of parents and their children. Isn’t that interesting? Planetary patterns run in families, just like genetics.

Doesn’t that make you wonder what planetary patterns you share with your children and/or parents? If you want to improve a relationship, get to know the other party’s horoscope. Here’s the 411 on consultations.

In the case of Anne Gorsuch, her horoscope has a Mars-Neptune square; his has a Mars-Neptune conjunction. Hers has a Sun-Mercury conjunction; his has Sun-Mercury and Venus conjunct. His Venus happens to be retrograde in Virgo, suggesting unique challenges in relationship. A need for discernment may have a double agenda. Hmmm.

Mr. Gorsuch is a Virgo, driven by the Moon in Gemini. He needs to be the smartest kid in the room, with the autocratic and controlling flair suggested by an unaspected Saturn in me-me-me Aries. His Saturn/Pluto midpoint is at the Aries Point, suggesting that he is likely to be known for matters involving anguished effort and/or suffering. His mother has the same midpoint picture! His Mars-Neptune meet-up is in Scorpio, and it is in a tense connection with Jupiter (expansion) in regal Leo. This pattern can be quite tenacious in matters of faith (and life and death).

With that in mind, it’s fascinating to note that Mr. Gorsuch wrote a book called The Future of Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia. He’s against both, arguing “that states should sometimes place ‘paternalistic constraints on the choices of its citizens.'” (i.e., the citizens’ autonomy). That sounds like an unaspected Saturn in Aries talking. Random thought: has anyone ever written about the need for “maternalistic constraints” on the choices of its citizens? What would that look like? Mandatory hot lunches for schoolchildren?

We do not have a birth time for Mr. Gorsuch and are limited as to what we can project for him in the near future. What can be seen suggests a tough fight over the next 6-8 weeks. It is fascinating to note that in his mother’s horoscope, her Mars-Neptune square is at 27 Gemini-27 Virgo, now exactly hit by transiting Saturn at 27-28 Sagittarius. This definitely suggests potential for a frustrating battle and reality check. As I wrote in a recent article for Mountain Astrologer, “The Horoscope Lives Forever,” doncha’ know…

In other news, Saturn (structure) in Sagittarius (big picture beliefs; travel; education) will be pulling focus over the next several weeks, as it is quite close to the end of that sign. Schools in Boston are reflecting this reality check by replacing the “distorted” maps that have been in use for the past 500 years. Here is what the world really looks like:

The New Year begins with a low-key Moon in Aquarius — good for connecting with your best buddies and making resolutions that sound wonderfully humanitarian and socially significant. How can you become the change you seek?

After a two-hour Moon void that begins at 2:59 AM ET on MONDAY, Moon shifts gears into the soulful, sensitive, suffering sign of Pisces, with no interference from other planets on its mission to merge with impressions and ideals for most of the day. Monday is a holiday for most in the United States. Go with the intuitive flow. A meet-up with Neptune at 11 PM ET, followed by a rose-colored harmony between Mercury and Venus on TUESDAY suggests opportunity to express a hopeful, proactive list of New Year’s Resolutions — at least in your own personal world. Don’t believe me? Here are the 2017 Eternal Optimist Talking Points — from the Week in Review section of the NYT.

It’s back to work on Tuesday. At 2:47 AM ET, Venus — symbol of love, money, women and aesthetics — leaves Aquarius and joins the Moon, Mars and Neptune in Pisces. There may be no more effective placement for empathy, compassion, and acceptance than Venus in Pisces. I’m mulling over these Piscean qualities in the context of the first day of the 115th Congress, which technically begins that day. Not convinced they suggest the upset and/or power play we are more likely to see as we get closer to the end of this week and early next week. UPDATE — posted 1/2/2017 — while the pile-up of Pisces planets does not suggest an upset, Uranus sitting right on the Aries Ascendant of the 115th Congress’s horoscope certainly does! Will my idealistic fantasy about this opening session come true? We’ll know soon enough…(and I’m laying the need for this update on Mercury retrograde — yes, even astrologers are susceptible to its potential glitches).

Also on Tuesday: Mercury will be at 0 Capricorn — retrograde — at the Aries Point — suggesting thinking and communication generating prominence — especially whatever was being thought about around December 3rd. We’ll get a third hit on those thoughts on January 12th — the Full Moon — when Mercury will be at 0 Capricorn again, after turning direct on January 8th.

Regardless, a “wet blanket” of a headline may well hit in the hours before 8:33PM ET on Tuesday, when the sensitive Pisces Moon is challenged by a thought-control smackdown from Saturn in Sagittarius.

Moon charges into Aries at 11:20AM ET on WEDNESDAY, after a six-minute void no one will notice. People will notice the gear shift from “all is one” to “me-me-me” and “get out of my way, while you’re at it.” This pioneering energy carries through the week until 3:18PM ET on FRIDAY, when the Moon settles down in Taurus. There’s a brief void that begins at 1:41PM ET — good for focusing on routine concerns and not making mountains out of molehills.

Friday is when the Electoral College votes are officially tabulated by the new Congress. SATURDAY at 1:41 AM ET is when the Capricorn Sun meets up with “Powers That Be Pluto.” Here are a few headlines from that configuration in 2012 (the conjunction is an annual thing). SUNDAY is when Mercury turns direct. Next TUESDAY is when the Sun is challenged by rebel Uranus, suggests upsets to the status quo.

What does your horoscope suggest for you in 2017? Now is the time to schedule that appointment with your astrologer — the one you’ve been meaning to make for months! Here is how to contact me. We will have an excellent discussion together.

And now, the news.

Mars conjunct Neptune in Pisces suggests themes of spiritual warfare or warriors; fanatical or sublime vision; scandal, drugs, charisma and music — to name a few. How apt that the last celebrity obit to hit the wires in 2016 — and so close to the exact Mars-Neptune meet-up — was William Christopher. You may know him as Father Mulcahy, the Army chaplain from TV’s MASH. Meanwhile, Huston Smith, the author of The World’s Religions, passed away at 97, the NYT reported today.

Televangelism and scams also reflect the potential of Mars with Neptune Ever hear of Pastor Paula White? Me neither, but her third husband is Jonathan Cain, who co-wrote “Don’t Stop Believin'” when he was in the band Journey. Pastor White has a “megachurch” in Florida and she just made news as an announced speaker at the January 20th Inauguration.

Add Mercury retrograde’s awesome potential for tech snafu’s to the Mars-Neptune mix, and you might get a surreal trainwreck performance by Mariah Carey on New Year’s Eve in Times Square. And it wasn’t even going to be a “real” performance — the plan was to lip sync — and it failed. We do not have a confirmed birth year for Ms. Carey. Seriously.

The holidays are a perfect time to catch up on movies, so that’s what I did. Yesterday (on Amazon Prime) I watched Temple Grandin, the HBO biopic starring Claire Danes as the maverick animal behaviorist who has done so much to promote a more humane treatment of livestock. Ms. Grandin is autistic — susceptible to sensory overload, but with a keen awareness of how animals perceive and respond to their environment. I could write a whole article on her fascinating horoscope — it is such an obvious reflection of her life experience, including why she needed to be a revolutionary; why she had such difficulty making emotional connections with humans; and why her mind was on such a different — but genius — wavelength compared to her peers.

But here’s the fun fact, given current planetary patterns: her Neptune is in touch with the angles of the chart and the Moon (thus we anticipate extraordinary sensitivity and impressions — with potential bewilderment)…and it is almost exactly square Mars! Oh — and her Moon is in Aquarius — where it was all day yesterday.

How do things like that happen, hmmm? Coincidence or conspiracy? Is life more than a random series of events? Here is Ms. Grandin’s website, if you want to learn more about her.

Thank you for reading this forecast. If you like it and would like to support my continued efforts, here is a link to the Cosmic Tip Jar, with gratitude. If you try that link and have any trouble with it, please let me know so I can pester PayPal.

The work day is driven by the intensity of Moon in Scorpio, seeking depth and substance in its quest for world domination. It’s aided and abetted by a smooth connection to dreamy Neptune at 4:47PM ET. Easy connections to other planets continue into Thursday, with a buoyant alignment with Jupiter at 7:23AM ET, followed by another to the Sun at 2:45PM ET, suggesting balance.

Thursday evening, however, is marked by a meet-up between the Scorpio Moon and Mars at 6:22PM ET, suggesting focused and penetrating action re: that Scorpio need for mastery. Moon then immediately goes void, not to enter the next sign — Sagittarius — until 5:14AM ET on FRIDAY. Chill on Thursday evening.

Of note today (Wednesday) is Mercury, which leaves Cancer for Leo at 8:47PM ET. This shift, along with the ingress of Venus yesterday also into Leo, is certainly contributing to the spotlight currently shining on Governor Mike Pence of Indiana. Pence is apparently one of three candidates — along with Newt Gingrich (written about in Monday’s updated forecast) and Chris Christie — that Trump is considering for VP.

Pence has Venus and Mars at 0 and 3 degrees of Leo, respectively. Both will be receiving a brief dose of popular buzz this week, courtesy of transiting Mercury and Venus — and also the Sun, when it enters Leo on Friday. Hmmm. Pence’s horoscope comes equipped with pixie-dust and snake oil, similar to the stashes we see in the horoscopes of Trump, Christie and Gingrich. How so?

Surely we must be now talking about Neptune, since we are talking about pixie-dust and snake oil. Yep. Pence has Neptune square to his regal, “get away with murder” Venus-Mars in Leo. Trump has Mercury (the way he needs to think; communication) square Neptune. Gingrich has Sun and Moon square Neptune, along with an obsessive aspect between Neptune and Mars. Christie’s Neptune is in a self-contained bubble with Mars and Jupiter in a defensive pattern known as a Grand Trine.

Neptune is an essential ingredient in any creative vision. Too much of it can be hard to manage. Hillary Clinton has one aspect to Neptune in her horoscope — a “soft” aspect to Neptune from Mars. It pales in comparison to the level of Neptune in these other horoscopes. If she had a strong Neptune, perhaps she’d be seen as more inspiring or visionary. Barack Obama has Sun square Neptune — more problematic, suggesting challenges in figuring out exactly who he is. But it also explains why he successfully ran his first campaign on one word: HOPE. Speaking of hope, do you think Bill Clinton — the man from Hope, AR –might have a heavy Neptune influence in his horoscope? And of course the U.S. has Mars square Neptune in its horoscope…

While we’re looking at similarities among these Republican VEEP prospects, consider that both Trump and Gingrich are Geminis with Moon in Sagittarius; Christie is a Virgo, likely with Moon in Sagittarius; Pence is a Gemini with Moon either in Cancer or Gemini, probably the latter. What’s the big planetary pattern that’s been at play over the past bewildering couple of months? A T-square among Saturn in Sagittarius, Jupiter in Virgo and Neptune in Pisces, with the Sun, Venus and Mercury in Gemini occasionally dropping in to turn the T-square into a Grand Cross.

Back to Governor Pence, whom Trump took on a trial run as a prospective running mate yesterday. In the words of the Washington Post’s James Hohmann:

One of the bigger knocks on Mike Pence when he was in the House, whispered privately among some leading lights of the conservative movement, was that he comes across as inauthentic and a little phony. As a former radio host, he still sometimes talks with a bit of an affect and he’s prone to hyperbole. Lavishing over-the-top praise on Donald Trump over recent days in an effort to become his running-mate will only cement this perception.

For example, Pence declared last night that, “Trump understands the frustrations and the hopes of the American people like no other American leader in my lifetime since Ronald Reagan.” This is a laughable comment when you consider that he endorsed Ted Cruz on April 29—just 10 weeks ago!—ahead of the Indiana primary. If Pence actually believes the above to be true, why didn’t he endorse Trump then?

A good question, and welcome to the lessons taught by the Mutable Signs: Gemini, Sagittarius, Virgo and Pisces. Here’s the blurb I wrote about them back in June, along with the Mutable Grand Cross. Mutable Signs are also called double-bodied signs. They are changeable and adaptive. Some might say they are evasive and/or totally two-faced. Hillary Clinton’s Moon in is Pisces. Perhaps people who have called her evasive – and worse in that vein — are responding to the potential for fluctuation a Pisces Moon suggests.

Hohmann continues:

…Temperamentally, the even-keeled Pence is in many ways the un-Trump. A favorite line, which he has repeated ad nauseum for years, is that he’s a conservative, but he’s “not in a bad mood about it.”

And that’s exactly why so many Hoosiers are stunned by Pence’s uncharacteristically fiery remarks on Trump’s behalf. “That’s the most exciting I’d ever heard or seen the man,” Lyle Enyeart, a Pence supporter, told the Indianapolis Star last night. “Man, what a ball of fire there.”

So what else is going on in Pence’s horoscope to reflect the potential for a sudden surge? His Jupiter at 24 degrees of Scorpio, where Mars has been sitting for almost two months now, energizing his need for expansion and reward. Not only that, but he just had the third expansive hit of transiting Jupiter to his Gemini Sun last month.

We don’t have a birth time for Mike Pence. Data: June 7, 1959 Columbus Indiana. Even without an exact birth time, I’m not convinced he’s the “attack dog” running mate Trump says he wants, as he apparently told the Wall Street Journal yesterday. The horoscopes of Christie and Gingrich suggest they would make more effective snarling canines. Without an exact time confirmed for any of these candidates, we can’t speculate for sure, but of the three, Gingrich’s horoscope seems hotter going into 2017.

How did I end up on this long political track?

UPDATE as of July 14th: Contrary to what he told the WSJ, Trump said in a subsequent interview that he was NOT looking for “an attack dog.” Fine, then choose Pence. Right now rumors and other alleged leaks report that Mike Pence WILL be his VP pick — here it is on the NYT — while still acknowledging that with all the mutable energy in Trump’s horoscope, not to mention the prominence of his bewildering and potentially duplicitous Mercury-Neptune square, maybe it won’t be Pence who finally makes the cut when the VP pick is scheduled to be announced Friday at 11AM ET. Next week, when Trump accepts the Republican Party nomination, the Leo Sun will meet up with Pence’s Venus (apologies — in an earlier version of this post, I said that would happen on July 15th). OK, the NYT didn’t really cite those astrological observations in its reportage. Then again, it did refer to Trump as “mercurial”…and he is a Gemini, ruled by Mercury…

UPDATE: Trump announced on Twitter that Pence was his pick — around 11AM ET on the 15th.

Let’s talk about Pokemon Go, the app that was launched in a week in of tech buzzy/superpowered planetary patterns among many planets, on a day with Moon in playful Leo. What did you launch last Wednesday, July 6th? This game, which mixes real life and virtual reality, is going gangbusters in U.S.; Nintendo’s stock is through the roof. There’s so much press about it that it feels like the game has been around since forever, even though it’s only been a week.

With all that’s going on in the world, it’s understandable that people would welcome an escape, especially one that makes the “real world” seem more fantastic. I’d argue that the U.S. is especially receptive to anything that paints the world as a magical place, given transiting Neptune currently making contact with the U.S. Ascendant. Neptune-Ascendant phases can be surreal, disorienting, bewildering. Here are some thoughts…and here are some others…on Neptune in the U.S. horoscope now.

Today’s Pisces Moon could push boundaries…because with Pisces, there are no boundaries. Pisces intuitively understands that boundaries are an illusion; we are all one; we are all in this together. Pisces can flow as sweetly as a gentle stream or pull as powerfully as the ocean’s undertow…float or drown. Neptune is also in dreamy Pisces — and still challenging mental Mercury in clever Gemini. That’s my excuse for today’s inspired, soggy prose.

Correction: yesterday when writing about Mercury retrograde, I said it would start on June 18th. I meant to type MAY 18th…with thanks to the avid readers who pointed out the error. We are in the shadow phase of the retrograde period — and have been as of May 4th. What that suggests is that whatever ideas and communications are put forth between now and June 27th, we’re likely to revisit, rethink and review. Stay flexible. Why May 4th to June 27th? Because Mercury was at 4 Gemini on May 4th. It turns retrograde at 13 Gemini on May 18th. It moves back to 4 Gemini and turns direct on June 11th. It gets back to 13 Gemini on June 27th. After the 27th, Mercury will be in new territory. Got that?

You may be feeling the sweeter side of Pisces this morning, courtesy of an easy connection to Venus in nurturing Cancer. Breakfast in bed? Around 3PM ET, Moon meets up with Neptune, encouraging a fit of inspiration, lingering coffee break or space-out. Around 6:30PM ET, double check the details in your communications and thinking, as Moon is challenged by Mercury (which is still under that dreamy Neptune influence). Ship it today or by 12:55PM ET tomorrow, when the Moon goes void.

And now, the news.

Last night Mars (energy of action) entered Gemini and edged closer to this Friday’s face off with Saturn (structure) in Sagittarius. At 10:54PM ET, the so-called gentle Pisces Moon squared Mars, and then squared Saturn at 3:01AM ET. Four minutes later, there was a 7.3 quake in Nepal. Fascinating.

No boundaries at Christie’s, either, as this morning’s headlines report the highest price ever paid for a work of art sold at auction — $179.4 million for a painting by Picasso. Surreal. And no boundaries at Chris Christie’s, especially if you joined him for a football game. Governor Christie apparently racked up an $82,000 bill on stadium snacks…paid for by New Jersey taxpayers. Score!

Update on the “Deflategate” story that surfaced just before the Super Bowl under a bewildering Mars-Neptune conjunction. Planetary patterns suggested little consequence would come of it. Now, as Mars is about to square Neptune (exact on May 25th), allegations that New England Patriots used deflated footballs to gain a competitive advantage — and that the quarterback, Tom Brady, knew about it — have proven to be valid. So were the Patriots stripped of their last Super Bowl win? No. They were fined and Brady will sit out four games next season. Which in my playbook, adds up to little consequence.

Update on Barack Obama, whose horoscope I wrote about yesterday. Before Mars hits President Obama’s 3 degree Gemini Moon, it opposed his 28 degree Scorpio Midheaven over the weekend. Mars suggests action — and also provocation, attack and/or an outburst. How interesting to stumble across a provocative story by Seymour Hersh, alleging that a lot of what you may have seen in Zero Dark Thirty is fiction, and that President Obama lied about what really happened in Abottabad the night Osama bin Laden was killed. On the other hand, the story was published on a square between Neptune and Mercury, which can be pretty surreal (or untrue). We will see this Mercury-Neptune pattern again on May 29 and June 23. It will be interesting to see if there are further developments on this story then. Here’s a bit more from NBC News.

What’s going on in your horoscope? Here’s the 411 on personal consultations.

High-flying idealism and a righteous mindset, driven by a need for emotional and/or home security opens the work week. The Sun and Mercury (mind communication) are together in opinionated Sagittarius and the Moon is still in motherhood and apple pie Cancer. That need for security is likely to be rattled in the early morning, especially around 12PM – 12:30PM ET, as the Moon makes its weekly clash with the never-ending Uranus-Pluto square. Choose your battles. Must you engage?

Meanwhile, Jupiter, planet of reward and expansion, turns retrograde at 3:41PM ET. In your own personal world, Jupiter retrograde can put a hold on expansion. In Leo, which refers to the energy of ego recognition and creative self-expression, it suggests you turn inward and reconsider plans for growth, making sure they are in synch with your need and/or ability to shine. As Jupiter turns retrograde at 22 degrees of Leo, you’ll feel this shift more personally if you have a planet or angle at 22 degrees of Leo, Taurus, Aquarius and Scorpio. Jupiter will turn direct on April 9th at 12 degrees of Leo.

On Wednesday, Venus leaves Sagittarius for social-climbing Capricorn, putting an enterprising spin on social interactions for the next few weeks. If you were born with Venus in Capricorn, you could be quite adept at knowing how to use relationships to get ahead. You may wait until later in life before realizing that love is more valuable than status.

If it weren’t for the sixth exact square between disruptive Uranus and ruthless Pluto happening on the 15th, patterns would suggest a week of optimism and abundance. Instead we have a deep rumbling of discontent breaking through to the surface, especially in the U.S., whose horoscope is and will continue to be profoundly affected by Uranus and Pluto well into 2015. The issues of contention are directly related to seeds planted during the mid-60s, when Uranus and Pluto were conjunct, i.e., began a new cycle of potential liberation and transformation.

Yea verily, it is somewhat tiresome to read so many civilian journalists and pundits note the odd similarity between current social issues (e.g., civil rights, women’s rights, etc.) that are hot now and were hot then. I say tiresome — actually it’s a bit frustrating — to read and hear so many opinions that accurately point out the similarity without the added perspective of planetary cycles. Last week, for example, there was an article in the NYT about the astonishing and noticeable “tipping point” that has happened in cases of rape and other sexual assault. OK, so…why is this tipping point happening now? No answer. It was posted on Thursday, two days after a post in this forecast noted the same phenomenon occurring as anticipated, reflected by Saturn nearing the end of its two-year journey in Scorpio (with added help from The Planetary Pattern Everyone Should Be Talking About).

But I digress. One big issue of contention would be the public protests in the U.S. and elsewhere over the failure of grand juries in Staten Island, Missouri and Ohio to indict the police officers who took the lives of certain unarmed citizens who were also African-American. Jon Stewart wasn’t the only one gobsmacked by the latest ruling — this one last week involving the homicide of Eric Garner, whose death by a totally-against-police-regulations choke hold was captured on video. It’s another tipping point about to be reached, perhaps, suggested by the harsh reality check of Uranus-Pluto to the U.S. Sun-Saturn square. Hillary Clinton, quoted in this NYT article about how even some conservatives disagreed with the grand jury findings, concluded:

“Each of us has to grapple with some hard truths about race and justice in America,” she said, speaking at a conference in Boston. “Because despite of all the progress we’ve made together, African-Americans, most particularly African-American men, are still more likely to be stopped and searched by police, charged with crimes and sentenced to longer prison terms.”

Exactly. While the seeds of racial equality may have been planted in the mid-60s, as embodied in landmark legislation, we are at a point in time where we are going to discover if those seeds will flower or if they will die. And by “discover,” this is likely to be experienced with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. Here is a quote from a lawmaker who applauded the grand jury’s decision in the case of Eric Garner. Take it away, Rep. Peter T. King:

“If he had not had asthma and a heart condition and was so obese, almost definitely he would not have died for this.”

Man, that is harsh. It’s all I can do to restrain myself from typing, “If he had only been able to magically sprout gills, he would have survived being tied to an anchor and thrown overboard.” How much would you like to bet there is 1) a chilly connection between Venus and Saturn and 2) a bewildering Neptune pattern in Mr. King’s horoscope (April 5, 1944 — NY NY — time unknown)? Similar patterns can be found in the chart of Japan’s Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso (Sept 20, 1940, Iisuka, Japan) who made headlines today for scolding “people who don’t give birth” and urging seniors to “hurry up and die”.

Finally, on a more uplifting note: on Friday, just after Mars entered space cadet Aquarius and aligned with the mobile Gemini Moon AND the Sun aligned with technogeek Uranus, the Orion spacecraft got off the ground. This is a prototype of a craft that will eventually embark on manned missions to Mars…fingers crossed.

OK, get to work — but first note your dreams and intuitive hits upon waking, courtesy of the Moon in the watery depths of Scorpio in harmony with visionary Neptune. Go about your business with strategic flair, as you seek the knowledge you need to support your plans for world domination. Get it structured, organized and under control — despite those around you who may be erratically acting out the buzz of this week’s meeting of Venus and Uranus, challenged by ruthless Pluto (see yesterday’s post for details). Oh yeah — and note that the Scorpio Moon is waxing full — exact tomorrow at 3:16PM ET. You’ll want to ship your stuff by then — or wait until Thursday if it’s a project you wish to be of consequence.

And now, the news.

I was not able to post a weekend forecast, though there was plenty of planetary action — especially on Mothers Day. The people-pleasing Libra Moon was supercharged by contacts with generous Jupiter, rebel Uranus and potent Pluto. A need to see things in the most beautiful light was suggested by a rose-colored connection between mental Mercury and dreamy Neptune. There were so many gracious, soulful and appreciative (Libra keyword!) posts about moms on Facebook that there were actually posts thanking people for posting them.

Also exact on Sunday: a passionate connection between Venus in Aries and Mars in Libra, doing their best to help each other out. How so? Well, Mars is in a sign that is ruled by Venus; Venus is in a sign ruled by Mars. So there’s a helpful connection there & the technical term for it is mutual reception. It is fascinating to note that in traditional astrology, Venus in Aries (the Ram — make a note of this) is considered to be a very challenging placement. All that feminine energy running around in a warrior sign…horrors! And Mars in Libra is also thought of as challenging. The warrior planet sitting in a feminine sign associated with cotton candy pink and sweet talk…eek! To add insult to injury for Mars — it is retrograde — dancing backwards — and we know only girls do that, right? Geez.

Thus I was fascinated to see that football player Michael Sam — who so looks like he might have Libra Ascendant, with that perfectly balanced face — made headlines on Sunday. Michael Sam is the first openly-gay player in the NFL. It could be argued that being gay has traditionally been a disadvantage in the “macho” world of pro football. Kind of like macho Mars at a disadvantage in graceful Libra? But on the day that Mars in Libra was exactly opposed by Venus in Aries — traditionally suggesting a passionate connection between partners — Michael Sam is chosen to play (drafted)…at the very last minute….by….the planet of love (Venus) helping out the planet Mars…with Venus played by…the St. Louis RAMs. Of course Venus is all super-charged, given its connection with Uranus and Pluto this week. Perfect time for “unconventional” attractions and disrupting the status quo!

I could not make this stuff up if I tried. And between that story and all the tributes to Mom on Facebook, you really needed to have a box of Kleenex handy on Sunday. Many more stories to share…but my taxi to the airport will be here any minute.

Dear New Yorkers, I’ll be back in the city this week and will be available for in-person consultations. Dear Rest of the Free World, I am always available for personal consultations via Skype or telephone. Here’s how to contact me.

We are still in the long void of course Taurus Moon, which started yesterday at 9:25AM ET and will continue to drive the day pretty much nowhere until 11:32PM tonight, when the Moon enters Gemini. I know, I do go on and on about these voids, but after observing them for years, I feel they are significant. And thus I seek to inform you about how they work, so you can live your life better.

For example, during Tuesday’s void when the Moon was in Aries, I wrote that we should be aware of the potential for some to be rushing about in a dangerously self-absorbed and unaware frame of mind. In my world, this was reflected by a handyman flaking on a scheduled appointment. Then, as I was walking to the subway, I paused before crossing the street, even though the “walk” signal said it was OK. To my left, I saw a truck barreling towards the intersection, and I sensed the driver had no intention of braking. My sense was correct; the truck flew through the intersection and the crosswalk. And while my pause at the crosswalk caused me to miss my subway train by a matter of seconds, it also prevented me from becoming road kill.

Missing the subway, led to me missing the shuttle bus that would take me to my final destination, where apparently a meeting had been scheduled that I did not know about, because I failed to notice the email announcing said meeting when I logged on to my office computer. But there were no consequences for my missing the meeting — and I am not sure if anything productive came out of it, anyway. Meanwhile, there was a kerfuffle over some missing video footage, which was eventually discovered after a few fiery Moon in Aries exchanges. But alas and alack, another issue was discovered with said footage during yesterday’s all-day Moon in Taurus void, etc., etc., etc. Get the picture? If you do not have the luxury of chilling for the next 15 hours, go with the flow and do not let your egos turn molehill snafus into mountains, even if others around you are visibly stressing out. You can be like oil on troubled waters, given your special awareness of planetary patterns.

While there are no exact aspects today, there is a huge truckload of other patterns that will be exact tomorrow and are being felt, especially in the news. First, as we mentioned yesterday, we’ve got mental, communicative Mercury in homeland security-focused Cancer being challenged mightily by the Uranus-Pluto. So what secrets have hit the fan? How about this bombshell: a domestic surveillance program that seems to involve the Obama Administration getting records of perhaps every phone call anyone has ever made. Really, it looks that intrusive…and why? Perhaps because they can. Thus is it really a surprise? There was another story about seizing information — SCOTUS ruled a few days ago that it is OK to take DNA samples from anyone taken into custody…

In other front page news, American prosecutors charged Chinese scientists working in the US with leaking trade secrets involving technology. Another leak — this one involving Neptune themes of water and Uranus-Pluto themes of radiation — has been discovered at the Fukushima nuclear plant, just as two planets (Mercury and Venus) hit the Aries Point this week, which was where Uranus (nuclear energy) was on the day of the original earthquake/tsunami in March of 2011. When Mars and Jupiter hit the Aries Point in the first two weeks of July, we’ll probably see more headlines on this story.

More news involving the void of course Moon. As I have mentioned before, the 113th Congress — the one driving all the legislation for the next two years, started its session during a persnickety and ultimately ineffectual void Moon in Virgo. So it is no surprise to see this story alleging that it plans to vote on legislation to defund an organization that no longer exists…and which it already defunded back in 2009. How’s that for an action that is of no consequence?

For news involving Mars-Neptune themed fraud, here’s an important safety tip about fake websites on Facebook that will attempt to wipe out your bank account — presented here as a public service. Mars-Neptune also refers to razzle-dazzle and Hollywood glamor, and thus it is interesting to see a front page article arguing that Hollywood film stars are losing their luster when it comes to selling magazines.

Last but not least — another PSA. Robert Reich, a Berkeley professor who served as Secretary of Labor in the Clinton Administration and whose Cancer Sun was just blessed with a communicative hit from Mercury and Venus, has posted another intriguing video, this one in response to last month’s revelation on how corporations like Apple avoid paying taxes, and specifically, what it means to you when corporations rebel against the boundaries of a nation-state. It concern the battle for control of resources, another Uranus in Aries square Pluto in Capricorn ongoing theme. Whether you agree with his take or not, it’s good fodder for a (hopefully) intelligent discussion. And don’t you just love the quote about astrologers on Reich’s website (the first link in this paragraph)?

A restless buzz battles the comfort and stability-preserving needs of the Moon in Taurus, which goes void of course with a long sigh at 9:25AM ET. This void period…during which the Taurus Moon will make no aspect with any other planet…lasts until 11:32PM ET on Thursday. And we are at the end of the lunar cycle, in that listless phase where we sense that something new is on the horizon, but we don’t quite know what it is. Chill, baby, chill!

The restless buzz is attributable to a number of patterns, First, the information and communication-oriented Gemini Sun is, as the Moon soon will be — unaspected — and thus running wild in cosmos, demanding focus, even though it isn’t quite sure how to fit in. Jupiter is also unaspected — and running wild like a giant wind bag — also in blah blah blah Gemini. Third, mental Mercury is fast approaching a supercharged alignment with Uranus (the mad scientist) and oh-so-perspicacious Pluto, which is what got me up at 4:45 AM, even though the exact aspects won’t happen until Friday and Saturday, respectively. Finally, we’ve got action-driven Mars in multi-tasking Gemini, about to square off with nebulous Neptune. This connection can be starstruck, surreal, irritable,bewildering, visionary or infectious…and you’re feeling that particular pattern if you were born around the 23rd of February, May, August or November…or if you have a planet or angle around 5 degrees of Pisces, Gemini, Virgo or Sagittarius.

Over the next few days I expect we’ll see a number of startling revelations and breakthroughs, including news from underground. Here are two from today’s pages: an update on an ancient underwater city and this bit about a Brooklyn townhouse with a deceptive facade (Mars square Neptune). Falling into the category of Revolution in General here’s an update on the situation in Turkey (government cracks down on protestors fighting to save a park from being turned into a shopping mall), and a few setbacks for Monsanto here and here — which the mainstream media doesn’t seem to be covering as much as it could. Cue Joni Mitchell now, please…

…and be patient with whatever twists and delays may crop up over the next two days in your efforts to move forward in a straight line. That crisis that just landed on your desk is likely “much ado about nothing”.

*a reference to a wonderful book by Sue Mingus about her life with jazz great Charles Mingus — which fits the musical, magical and surreal potential of current planetary patterns…

Glamorous, charismatic, sublime, surrender, fanatical, transcendental — or perhaps a weird combination of all the above. Whatever it is you’re dealing with today — in your life or in the news — it may not even feel real — but it can still be a delicious escape. It can also be a day of particularly powerful, incisive communication — as a result of intense investigation — we may see some strong personas making especially bold statements in an effort to inspire/influence — watch the headlines. You can also apply this depth of perception to projects of your own.

Moon is still in me-me-me Aries — waxing full at 9:37PM NY. You may recall last month’s Full Moon was also in Aries, a sign that needs to be Number One — and isn’t that an interesting counterpoint to the focus on relationships we’ve been working on all month? What do we really want in our relationships and what are we willing to give in order to get it? That’ll be an interesting question, given that less than an hour after waxing full, Moon moves into sensual, yet stubborn and possessive Taurus, where it usually aims to keep things as they are.

Saturday Sun leaves Libra for Scorpio, joining Mercury, Venus and Mars and increasing the demand for substance over theory in an effort to control. See if you notice the shift in intensity. Sunday’s notable aspect is an easy connection between Mars, planet of action and inventive Uranus, suggesting headlines about progress made in projects benefiting the common good, maybe with a creative dose of technology. Not the worst aspect to have on United Nations Day, eh?